Treatment of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing with positive airway pressure systems

Positive airway pressure systems are widely used to treat patients with moderate-tosevere obstructive sleep-disordered breathing. The application of stable continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) via the nose (nasal CPAP) has been the mainstay of treatment since the early 1980s. For treatment to be effective, the pressure level must be fine-tuned to restore patency of the individual patient’s upper airway. Currently, there is ongoing controversy concerning which outcomes to observe when adapting the pressure level, and which methods to use for pressure adaptation. Adjusting the pressure level to control apnoeas and hypopnoeas is one major objective, but may not be sufficient to restore normal sleep. Evidence is available that elimination of inspiratory flow limitation leads to